NFL Rumors: This QB ‘Has Edge’ To Be Retained By Steelers

Steelers owner Art Rooney II in late January made it clear he wanted the organization to retain one of its top two quarterbacks from the 2024 season.

It remains to be seen if Rooney’s preference will come to fruition. But one of those signal-callers reportedly has separated himself from the other as the more likely recipient of a new contract in Pittsburgh.

“The sense I get is that Justin Fields has an edge over Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh’s free agent quarterback pecking order,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Sunday. “There is sentiment for Fields in the building, and both sides would be open to a return. The Steelers have at least another week to crystallize those plans, and they certainly haven’t ruled out Wilson at this point.”

Fields helped guide the Steelers to a 5-2 record over the first seven weeks of the 2024 season before he was replaced by Wilson. Wilson, meanwhile, went 6-5 as Pittsburgh’s QB in the regular season, but he performed poorly down the stretch and was a big reason why the Steelers didn’t stand a chance in the playoffs. Fields might not have helped the Steelers advance past the wild-card round, either, but there’s a case to be made that the 2021 first-round pick still has untapped potential.

But regardless of who Pittsburgh tabs as the early frontrunner for the starting quarterback job, Mike Tomlin and company still will have a lot of work to do as they try to halt the franchise’s lengthy postseason win drought.